Cashmere’s Training (feat. Oleander, Velvet and Alena)

[ClockwerkSamurai12]

Cashmere panted as she laid down on the mat.

Cashmere: Thanks for ze tip..

[CaptainL]

Alena smiled to Cashmere. Though the Norwegian was clearly exerted from all the pressure she had been put through, she was definitely showing some promising potential - if she had managed to throw an Ezekiel choke at Alena, then she clearly knew a thing or two about grappling. She just needed to have those skills honed further to hold her own as a well-rounded fighter, but if she kept up with what she was doing, she was well on her way.

In fact, even if Cashmere was flat on her back, Alena had an idea. "Now, I'm willing to bet that if you're a striker, you're more used to stand-up fighting, da? That's one habit to break. With grappling, you can launch attacks from just about anywhere. If you know how to apply the right holds on your opponents from any position, you can stay prepared no matter what, and you won't need to worry about wasting time getting to the right stance. Even if I'm on my feet and you're down, you can target my legs and trip me up. Try it! I'll stay standing, and you try to secure a hold on me." If Cashmere could start thinking like a grappler, Alena was sure she'd be on to something.

[ClockwerkSamurai12]

Cashmere decides to follow Alena’s advice, grabbing a hold of her opponent’s right leg while sweeping the left to bring her down to her level. If successful, she’d be able to transition into a kneebar.

Cashmere: Hope zis is secure enough..

[CaptainL]

If Cashmere was going to break outside of the bounds of her style, she was going to need to pick up her ground game. Alena had challenged her to such a task in inviting her to target her from the ground. But Cashmere was ready to do just that! She managed to grab Alena's leg with one hand, then swept the other one out from under her, causing the Russian heiress to fall to her back as her footing gave way! From there, Cashmere could secure her legs around Alena's leg and crank down on it, stretching out her knee for the kneebar!

As she felt the muscles and tendons in her legs suddenly pull taut, Alena's face contorted into a pained scowl, her eyes squeezed shut and her teeth clenched. But nevertheless, she nodded to Cashmere and flashed her a smile, even if her eye was twitching and a tear of pain hung at the corner. Even if it hurt, what was more important was that Cashmere was innovating, and rising to the challenge! She was doing things right! "Yes...like that!" Alena explained. "You'll come to find that even when you're on your back, you're no less capable of mounting offense..."

"Of course," Alena continued, "you shouldn't think an opponent in this position is helpless. Remember, any part of your body can help set up an escape!" To demonstrate that, Alena would attempt to get her foot in behind the knee of the leg Cashmere had laid on top of her own, pushing at it to try and force if off of her! If that worked, Alena would try to pull herself back to slip her leg free of Cashmere's clutches!

Spoiler

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SmyTA2P_RZk

[ClockwerkSamurai12]

Cashmere notices her attempts and decides to twist away from Alena’s foot, hoping to apply more pressure.

[CaptainL]

Alena had tried to pull away from Cashmere, prying her legs apart in an attempt to create more space she could maneuver through. But the Norwegian wasn't about to give in without a fight, and she pulled harder at Alena's foot to try and strain it was much as she could! Alena still wasn't deterred - she had made her mind up, and when she did that, she wasn't going to let anything get in the way. Her fingers grasped at the canvas, trying to get a good handhold on it to drag herself free of her opponent's clutches; at the same time, she bucked at her hips to try and shake Cashmere so she couldn't hold on quite as well. No matter how hard Alena fought, though, she was still going to come away worse for wear. Cashmere was quickly catching on!

Once she was finally free, Alena rolled into a seated position and scrambled backward a few feet, where she stopped to pant for breath, rubbing at her ankle to try and quell the lingering soreness. She hissed under her breath as she touched the joint, feeling a sore sensation run through her - it only served to remind her of how close Cashmere had come to bringing her down - but nevertheless, she looked up at her foe and nodded to her. "You're...getting the hang of this," she muttered. Alena tried to rise to her feet, but she stumbled a little on her sore leg. She'd be grappling with that damage for a while. "Next round?"

If Cashmere got up, Alena would move forward to clinch with her, looking to see how she could deal with an opponent at close range. If Cashmere didn't stop her, though, Alena would look into circling behind her. There, she would get her arms hooked around Cashmere's own before stretching them out to her sides, going for a Nelson hold!

[ClockwerkSamurai12]

Cashmere would stand up to meet with her instructor.

Cashmere: Hopefully I didn’t break anything with that ankle lock..

[CaptainL]

With Cashmere getting to her feet, Alena was quick to circle behind her, getting her arms around her own to secure the Nelson hold. Once there, though, she sucked in a deep breath, yanking back hard at the Norwegian's arms to try and stretch her muscles and joints to their limit. She hissed through her teeth to try and draw forth as much force as she could - but she wanted to be sure Cashmere would feel it!

"Don't worry," she explained, shaking her head, "I've been through much worse. If you're going to be a good grappler, it helps to be able to take offense, in addition to dealing it out." She was hoping to see, with this hold, how long Cashmere was able to endure the pressure. However, she was still sore in her ankle, and as she dug her heel into the mat, she winced a little. She wasn't able to bear quite as much weight on that foot compared to the other. Hopefully, that wouldn't slow her down too much...

[ClockwerkSamurai12]

Cashmere would simply just toss Alena over her shoulder and onto her back, ending a side mount position.

[CaptainL]

It seemed like Cashmere was taking well to her lesson, at any rate! Encouraged by Alena's words, she managed to hoist the Russian girl higher - and soon, her feet left the ground, suspended in the air by Cashmere's strength alone! Her jaw dropped in a gasp. Alena had seen plenty in the octagon, of course, but the raw power Cashmere was displaying now was enough to surprise even her! But the surprise was a pleasant one - it wasn't lost on Alena that this stood as proof that the striker was learning well from this ordeal, if she was able to stay competitive and carry on with the fight even in the face of her dwindling stamina. Alena smiled, and she opened her mouth, about to commend Cashmere on her efforts. Of course, that didn't get her very far - because Cashmere proceeded to hurl her straight down onto her back!

Alena came crashing against the mat with a thud, her teeth clenching in a grimace as the ring rumbled beneath her impact. She needed a moment to pant and collect her breath after that. "A-Ahh...not bad..." she mused. But she also couldn't take her attention off what was happening in the ring, because the pace was quickly stepping up!

Alena noted how Cashmere had gotten on top of her, putting her in side control. At that, a smile came to the grappler's face. She was well aware from her BJJ experience that Cashmere had taken a position where she had plenty of potential to do some damage, and she was curious to see what she could do with that. "So, now, you're in side control," she explained. "In BJJ, we regard that as one of the more dominant positions on the mat! From here, your arm is within reach of my neck, if you wanted to go for a choke, or to try to pin me. I'd like to see what you do, here - give it your best shot, and I'll see how well I can adapt!" If Cashmere was going to succeed at grappling, it'd do her well to know her options.